Bergen – a City of Culture

Bergen – a Capital of Culture Norway: 4,7 mill people in a ”large geography” on the northern edge of Europe. Not an EU member. Bergen – Norway's second city – urban area 350 000 people Marine and maritime clusters, oil and gas, research and education, tourism, public and private services. UNESCO World Heritage site and Memory of The World. Strong and broad professional cultural and artistic life: In all genres, of national and european relevance. Successful European Capital of Culture in the year 2000 – with “Eurocities” Bologna, Helsinki, Brussel, Praha, Reykjavik, Krakow. Current city culture budget of ca 27 mill. euro/ 2,9% of total budget.

International plan – the ”whys” A need for a structured approach: Using local resources well – “bigger bang for the buck” Coordinating partners locally & a platform for national financing. Political visibility and viability on a local level. A need for internationalisation: Strenghtening our professional cultural life with new challenges on a European level. Ensuring quality and “the new” for local audiences. Visibility for Bergen in Europe, bypassing the national level. A need for long term quality partnerships: Best results, in the right partnerships, in the right places.

The plan A first essay for us – a starting point for future policy. An opportunity for us to learn from Europe. A short strategic document – with a 4 year plan. Based on 5 strategic areas & 33 actions. The 5 areas: New contemporary arts, network and process focus, participation in international organisations, better coordination and collaboration locally, broad intercultural will. Ca. 400 000 euro in extra city financing per year. As support for projects run by professionals in the arts and culture